Goals for 2011

My favorite part of the "off season" is getting in lots of quality training, and thinking ahead to the next season. Here is how my season will break down in 2011.

1) Collegiate Cycling in the spring

2) Trans Rockies Run - Training for this will occupy the summer months, from April to August. The main purpose will be a fund raiser which I am still putting together the details for.

3) Cyclocross in the fall - After mainly running during the summer, I hope to hit the cyclocross season fresh and motivated.

Specific goals:

1) Some top 10 finishes in the B collegiate races. I hear that the B races are roughly equivalent to cat 3/4, so this will be challenging. In order to do this, I'm going to have to work on my positioning and field sprints, as I don't think that there are going to be many very hilly races. It should be good training and good practice.

2) Top 5 finish in the Pottsville City Cycle 17. Knowing this race a little better this year should help.

3) Top 3 finish in the Tek Park Criterium. This is a super hilly race, and should suit my strengths well.

4) More points in the Thursday night late race.

5) Earn points towards a Cat 2 upgrade in cyclocross.

6) Work on my TT, and average 25+ mph for the Route 29 10 mile TT.

In 2010, my training was very sporadic. My season goals were changing, and I had a teaching and class schedule that kept changing. With 2011, I hope to keep a more consistent training schedule, I won't be taking any more classes so I can devote time in the mornings for training.

Looking back on 2010

Earlier last spring, I set some specific goals for myself in 2010. They were:

1) Upgrade to Cat 3 in the road - This was my main goal, and the only goal I didn't achieve. The hilly races that I was planning on using for points (Mt. Nebo, Oxford, Fulton) all lost their USA Cycling sanctioned status, so no upgrade points for those races. I think this will wait until 2012.

2) Stage race - Millersburg 3/4, the racing was hard, and I've got a way to go before I can hang with the 3s.

3) Improve TT - 8 miles in 20 min or less - I did this at one of the Route 29 TT, it was a 10 mile TT and I held over 24 mph.

4) Not get dropped before mile 10 in Battenkill Masters - This race went well, I hung with the field until the Meetinghouse Rd climb, by then the field was mostly shredded anyway.

5) Upgrade to Cat 3 cyclocross - Done.

6) Keep running - Only real running race was the SuperBowl 10k, which I'll do again next year.

7) Multisport - Took 2nd at the Vincentown Du which was my first multisport event, and it was a lot of fun. I plan on doing more of these.

Some of the biggest highlights were getting points in the Thursday night late race. This is a fast training criterium, and I was elated to get 1 point in a sprint early in the season, and 2 points on a solo effort.

Overall I'm satisfied with the way 2010 went. Road was a bit of a dissapointment, when most of my main road races were cancelled, I lost lost much of my training motivation. I started the cyclocross season highly motivated and training hard, but tapered out by the end. Next year I'll make cyclocross a season goal, and make sure I can get through the entire season.